NON-fishy Omegas

I was recently asked to post about non fish sources of omega 3s- thanks Sarah for the enthusiam. Besides who likes those aweful fish burps and house smelling like fish for days.... Here's what I found:
Alternative sources of omega 3

Believe it or not there is a large variety of whole foods that are rich in omega 3. Some foods to include in your diet to ensure you get enough omega 3 are:

*Green leafy vegetables such as, spinach, broccoli, kale, and Brussels sprouts.

*Legumes such as, pinto beans, kidney beans, black beans, and split peas.

*Walnuts

*Pumpkin seeds and flax

*Berries such as, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries

*Avocados.


Personally i try to eat a Table spoon of flax seeds and 6 walnut halfs daily. I also Eat about 5 cups of leafy greens. Berries for sure too.

Agave should be left to make tequilla!

So what is the truth about Agave. Its a "natural" sweetener, "Low glycemic"--- In truth its not Healthy as they want you to think. Agave has more fructose than high fructose than high fructose corn syrup-- 90%! It is a refined product- true it does come from the agave plant but ...Agave plants are crushed, and the sap collected into tanks. The sap is then heated to about 140°F for about 36 hours not only to concentrate the liquid into a syrup, but to develop the sweetness. The main carbohydrates in the agave sap are complex forms of fructose called fructosans, one of which is inulin, a straight-chain fructose polymer about ten eight to 10 fructose sugar units long. In this state, the sap is not very sweet.

When the agave sap is heated, the complex fructosans are hydrolyzed, or broken into their constituent fructose units. The fructose-rich solution is then filtered to obtain the desired products that range from dark syrup with a characteristic vanilla aroma, to a light amber liquid with more neutral characteristics.


It is no longer a whole food... Full of fructose. All sugar- from table sugar to HFCS (high-fructose corn syrup) to honey- contains some mixture of fructose and glucose. Table sugar is 50/50, HFCS is 55/45. Agave nectar is a whopping 90% fructose, almost- but not quite- twice as high as HFCS. The high amount of fructose is what makes it low glycemic. Fructose- the sugar found naturally in fruit- is perfectly fine when you get it from whole foods like apples (about 7% fructose)—it comes with a host of vitamins, antioxidants and fiber.
“Fructose interferes with healthy metabolism when (consumed) at higher doses”
Our bodies need glucose to survive. It is what provides us with energy as all food is broken down into. All of our cells can process it. Fructose is only broken down in the liver.

Fructose is the primary sugar in most fruits. It isn’t that fructose is evil -- it is just the MASSIVE DOSES you and your family are exposed to that makes it dangerous. Because it is so cheap and makes foods taste so much better...

Stick to fruit and leave the agave to ferment for tequilla.

Truth about fiber...

Dietary fiber, the edible portion of cell walls is beneficial for our diets. There are 2 types: Both are healthy and need to be consumed. Soluble and Insouble fiber both have many benefits. But what is the difference?? Both are undigested meaning they do not enter the blood stream and are not used for energy rather they are excreted. Insoluble fiber aids in elimination passing thru the bodily relatively intact. It can control and balance the pH (acidity) in the intestines. Research has shown- promote regular bowel movement and prevent constipation,remove toxic waste through colon in less time,help prevent colon cancer by keeping an optimal pH in intestines to prevent microbes from producing cancerous substances. Good sources of insoluble fiber are Vegetables such as green beans and dark green leafy vegetables, Fruit skins and root vegetable skins, Whole-wheat products, Wheat, oat, Corn bran,Seeds & Nuts.

Soluble fiber binds and forms a gel when in contact with a liquid. It binds with fatty acids and can prolong stomach emptying time so that sugar is released and absorbed more slowly. It has been shown to lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the Bad cholesterol) therefore reducing the risk of heart disease. Food sources include Oat/Oat bran, Dried beans and peas, Nuts, Barley, Flax seed, Fruits such as oranges and apples, Vegetables such as carrots,Psyllium husk.

The recommended intake of fiber is 25g per day. or 10 - 13 grams for every 1,000 calories in the diet. This recommended amount should come from a combination of soluble and insoluble fiber, since each type provides different benefits. While it's not necessary to track, a 3:1 ratio of insoluble to soluble fiber is typical


If you notice these all come from whole plant based foods- Not processed food. Back to basics...

150 things to do before 30

The ones I have done are bolded-
01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and didn’t care who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day Swedish
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country Costa Rica waiter
44. Watched whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip Maimi beach 2004
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Taken a midnight walk on the beach summers at the beachhouse in WW!
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow The zoo- obviously prevegan
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day AHHH college
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theatre
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on a television news program as an “expert”
83. Gotten flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas x1 second will be in April
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Passed out cold
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking with the windows open103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a TV game show
113. Broken a bone does ACL count if i did it twice??
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears belly button
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol they made me shoot a rifle in college
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for 30 hours in a 48 hour period - have been UP for more than 30 hours in a 48 hour period.
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. States
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper daily news in yoga poses
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach Umm i live in philly
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair not a natural blonde
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident I've rear ended a few
150. Saved someone’s life


Still have 2 plus years to accomplish the rest!

pumpkin Hummus

I just love pumkin and squash, which is the only reason I am ok with the summer ending and fall starting. I tend to pick up alot of butternut squash and those cans of pumpkin. Always looking for a new recipe my friend turned me onto a pumpkin hummus: My new favorite hummus
tablespoons tahini (sesame-seed paste)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon pumpkinseed kernels, toasted (optional)

Place tahini and next 7 ingredients (through garlic) in a food processor, and process until smooth. Add parsley; pulse until blended. Spoon hummus into a serving bowl; sprinkle with pumpkinseed kernels, if desired.

I skipped the parsley and extra oil and used roasted garlic and didnt have the pumpkin seeds. Still was amazing!!

Digestion times.....

Starch is digested quickly-usually within 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Protein takes a bit longer-anywhere from 1½ to 6 hours to digest
Fat takes much longer. Only about 10 grams of fat can be processed by the digestive tract per hour, so high fat foods or meals can take many hours to digest.

Should we eat Nuts??

Nuts can be a healthy option but they can also be a bad option. Its easy to get confused as a consumer. It is best to choose raw, unsalted nuts! The oil roasting of nuts causes the healthy fat inside the nut to go rancid. Rancid fat and trans fat are simply fats that are no longer digestible and that spells disaster for the body. Rancid means the fat is now a "free radical" and free radicals cause cellular degradation.Roasting nuts at a temperature higher than 170F will cause a breakdown of their fats and the production of free radicals. When nuts roasted at the high temperatures used commercially are consumed, the free radicals they contain can cause lipid peroxidation-the oxidizing of fats in your bloodstream that can trigger tiny injuries in artery walls-a first step in the build up of plaque and cardiovascular disease.

To avoid this try Raw nuts- or if can not take the taste without roasting try buying raw nuts but roasting at home at a temperature of 160-170 degrees.